


Just Passing Through

by KrisKris



Series: For rgglovewk21 on twitter [1]
Category: JUDGE EYES: 死神の遺言 | Judgment, 龍が如く | Ryuu ga Gotoku | Yakuza (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, Gift Giving, Holding Hands, Hoshino is such a nerd, M/M, Minor Violence, Sailor Moon merch, Self-Insert, T-Rating for Language, Unrequited Crush, Valentine's Day, for rgglovewk21 on twitter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 19:55:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29337882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KrisKris/pseuds/KrisKris
Summary: One student in particular hid from behind the door of the classroom to his seniors. What he held in his hands was a week’s worth of trial and error and his true feelings, all wrapped in a box with a bright red bow.
Relationships: Kido Takeshi/Hoshino Issei
Series: For rgglovewk21 on twitter [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2154966
Kudos: 5
Collections: RGG Love Week





	Just Passing Through

The date was February 14th, Valentine’s Day. It was a time for students to exchange gifts among friends and express their love for one another. This particular day was nerve-wracking for some, for the fear of rejection left many determined for a chance at love or completely heart broken. The most popular of students held a bag of copious amounts of chocolate while others happily indulged in the few gifts they received among friends.

As school let out, many confessed their feelings as the scenario of standing under a cherry blossom tree was taken directly from a romance manga. They were held at an intimate embrace, hands interlaced with one another as they continued their daily after-school routines together in a much lighter mood. Many others laughed and stood with their friends by their desks, a few others started cleaning duty, one student in particular hid from behind the door of the classroom to his seniors. What he held in his hands was a week’s worth of trial and error and his true feelings, all wrapped in a box with a bright red bow.

The dark-haired teen peeked into the classroom to find some of his peers surrounding a desk, conversing with one student who sat while one stood in the furthest corner of the classroom near the window, dusting off the chalkboard erasers. The white debris, spreading about like a faint cloud before dissipating into the open air as two others worked together with a broom and dust pan, sweeping the classroom floor.

He scanned the room, spotting an empty desk by the window while its owner was away on a student-related errand, supposedly. He had it all planned out from the beginning: approach the desk and leave the chocolates behind before anyone noticed him. Easier said than done. He was a freshman standing before a classroom of upperclassmen, the thought of it alone made him feel small.

He suddenly felt discouraged and slowly backed away. He was mentally kicking himself for chickening out at the very last minute but the thought of him being seen in such an embarrassing position would only make him a laughingstock. If only he wasn’t so afraid to give it in-person...

“Yo, Hoshino-san!” A voice behind him made him jump.

He turned to see one of his seniors standing beside him with a hand on their hip. They stood at just the height of his shoulders appearing slightly bigger from their green and white jacket over their school uniform. Despite their shoulder-length hair tied into a mini-ponytail, they shared the same boosted confidence as the roaring tiger behind their jacket.

“Ah, Senpai.” Hoshino shyly greeted his fellow schoolmate. He would normally be more formal about it if he wasn’t so nervous.

“Whatcha doin’?” they peered into the classroom, seeing nothing out of the ordinary.

“Uhm…” Hoshino kept the box of chocolates hidden behind his back. “Just passing through!”

“If ya need something from the classroom, I can get it for you.”

“I-I mean…. not exactly…” he grew shy and twiddled with the ribbon behind his hands.

“Are you tryin to drop the chocolates off to Kido, then?”

“Huh!?” Hoshino’s cheeks suddenly turned a bright shade of pink. They really don’t mince words, do they? “I-I mean, I wasn’t—”

“Hey, man. It ain’t a big deal, I won’t judge you.” they shrugged. “It’s just that you two spend so much time together, so I just assumed…”

“Well, I mean, he doesn’t know…” Hoshino muttered that last bit to himself, averting his gaze.

“He what?” they leaned in close to listen.

“N-Nothing!” Hoshino cried.

“Come on,” his senpai sighed, holding out their hand. “Give it here. I’ll do it.”

“Hah?! B-But—!”

“Dude, it’s painful enough just watchin ya. Come on.” They insisted, beckoning with their fingers. “Please just let me do it.”

Hoshino hesitated for what appeared to be a full second before handing them the chocolates before watching them casually enter the classroom and approach Kido’s desk at the end by the window but instead of putting the gift on his desk as he had intended from the start, they slip it into his schoolbag while the rest of their peers simply continued their conversation without once acknowledging their presence. It wasn’t until they set foot outside the classroom, their classmate called out to them.

“Shiki-san!”

“Ah?” they stopped, turning their attention to the male student with short, dark hair and a plain disposition. 

He was one of the slackers who made average grades and slept through most of the school day. It was indeed Valentine’s day, after all. Not a single gift of chocolate was given to him yet he yearned for the attention, if only he wasn’t so forceful.

“Teach me how to be cool like you!” He clapped his hands together as if begging.

“Huh? Why?”

“Come on, man!” their classmate pleaded while the others watched, laughing at him. “You got chocolates from three girls already! Please, Sensei! Ya gotta teach me!”

Startled at the sudden request, Shiki slowly backs away as their classmate inched closer. They made shifty eyes towards the door, retreating in a state of panic. 

They replied, “I, uh, y-you know what, I just remembered I-I gotta pick something up from the teacher!”

“Wait! Hey!” Their classmate shouted after them and gave chase when they saw the tiger on their back disappear as they were seen sprinting down the hall.

The oncoming students quickly side-stepped to make way for them. Hoshino couldn’t help but laugh when they both got yelled at by accidentally running into the Student Council President, helping her gather the stack of papers they knocked out of her hands. 

  
  


Fast-forward several years into the future, Hoshino Issei had grown into the attorney he aspired to be. Standing tall with confidence in his stride as he strolled through the busy streets of Kamurocho, with only his backpack and the bit of wisdom he picked up over the years when he passed that bar exam a second time. Now with a new resolve, he strives to help those in need of defending in the name of justice. That is, until he was cornered by a few punks with a bone to pick, limitless time on their hands and a switchblade to turn his whole day upside down. He would have to make a mental note to take a detour elsewhere next time during this hour into the evening.

He felt uneasy about the situation on hand but kept a brave face, clenching his fists at his sides. They started to laugh when one of their friends noticed him tense up.

“What are you gonna do, kid, hit me?” The punk taunted, his arms wide open as they laughed at his silly gesture.

One of the other punks felt a tap on his shoulder, he turned only to be welcomed by a swift punch to the face. He was completely stunned to put up a fight when he was caught off-guard, instantly collapsing to the ground.

“What the fuck?!” one of them shouted, turning to the commotion in question as they all looked to the person who interrupted them.

“Get his ass!” the leader shouted.

One by one, they fell. Their opponent being much more experienced at street brawls with a fiery aggression in his swagger. His punches sent them packing as they scattered like roaches when he was the last one standing. 

He scoffed, “All bark and no bite, huh? Candyasses.”

Hoshino stood, staring at the man in front of him. He stared at the nine-tailed fox on the back of his red and white jacket. His eyes widened from the familiarity of his voice and his posture. They parted ways after Kido’s graduation day and he hadn’t heard from him since. It felt like ages when he saw him last but the feelings he kept hidden away came crawling back when the young man ran his hands through his brown hair.

“K-Kido-senpai…?”

Kido turned, his eyes widened in surprise and switched to a grin when he saw an old friend. “Hoshi?” he laughed. “Holy shit! How’ve you been?”

* * *

They managed to do some catching up, continuing their conversation at their old hangout from high school, Smile Burger, where they usually bought burgers and milkshakes, wasting the day away with countless hours of meaningless conversation until it grew dark outside where they walked home together and parted ways. It was usually Hoshino who made it home first and watched his best friend continue down the block alone.

It wasn’t after those few months into the school year where he developed a crush on Kido. He would deny those feelings yet each time he was close, he felt his heart would explode at any second. The time spent together, he never wanted it to end. The chocolate he made that was left in his school bag that day, all the things he felt, what he was too afraid to express, he put all that care into molding the perfect Valentine’s Day gift even if he had to make it anonymous. 

Simply writing all his feelings on paper was a lot easier to express than in person even if he wasn’t given a gift in return, he was at least glad his feelings were known despite Kido being in the dark. It was better than being rejected, at least.

“You know, you really suck at disguising your handwriting.” 

Kido’s voice brought him back from daydreaming and he furrowed his brows in confusion. “Sorry?”

“Back in high school?” He stared at him, trying to freshen his memory. “Valentine’s? You left chocolate in my school bag with a little love letter in it.”

“I-I—” he felt a blush rise up from his cheeks, unable to form words. “H-How did you know that was…?”

“Dude, I recognize your handwriting,” he replied with a shrug. “I mean, I get it. You were afraid I’d call you weird and say no, right?”

Hoshino remained quiet before slowly nodding his head, avoiding eye contact. He figured this entire time Kido was straight, not once did he ever glance his way or made any sort of move on him but not only that, men just couldn’t simply date other men, right? At least, that’s what he believed until he saw two girls happily holding hands out in public one day.

He secretly wanted what they had and only one person in particular came to mind to help him fulfill that. If only…

“Sorry…” Kido chuckled, scratching the back of his head.

Hoshino looked back up at him, twiddling with the straw in his drink. “How long have you known?”

“I mean, I didn’t notice it before until after I got home,” he explained. “I was wondering why you started acting weird back then. I never expected you’d feel that way. Just got me thinkin, ‘Why me? What would someone like you want with someone like me…?’ Then I started realizing that you’ve been there for me more than anyone else has and I never once thought anything about it.”

“Senpai…”

“By the way, uhm…” he dug into his jacket pocket for a small, wrapped box that fit in his hand and set it in front, slowly sliding it over. “Call it a late White Day gift since it’s already Valentine’s day… Several years late.”

Hoshino let out a laugh as he took the box in his hands to open it and gasped. “No way…”

He took out a small, pink compact lined with a golden circle with a star and a crescent moon at the very center. Four small, fake gemstones were aligned along the star to coincide with the center moon and the large pink gem. The red, blue, green and yellow gems were to represent the sailor scouts of Hoshino’s beloved anime.

His eyes brightened at the iconic brooch he grew to love from his childhood memories. “It’s the Crystal Star! I was trying to buy one but I never had time! How?!”

“I, uh… I mean I figured that was what you liked.” said Kido. “Never expected to find you so soon either…”

“This is amazing!” Hoshino exclaimed, opening up the proplica to see more details that simply made him smile with glee to see the pretend Silver Crystal with its artificial shine. “Thank you, Kido-senpai!”

“I think it plays sound,” he gestured to his gift, taking a sip of his milkshake. “Nearly dropped the sample one in the store when I played it.”

“Does it really…?” He examined it carefully before pushing the Silver Crystal and waited for a reaction before glancing at Kido for some guidance.

“Huh. Think it’s off. The sample was pretty loud, though.”

“No, I believe you,” Hoshino carefully set his gift into the box then put it into his backpack. “Think it’s for the best. I’ll check when I get home then.”

Kido glanced out the window, noticing how late it had gotten. Though they had grown from teenagers to men, it seems their time together remained unchanged. “Yeah, it’s getting pretty late. Should probably head out soon.”

He took a glance as well and felt himself suddenly speak up. “Say, Senpai.”

“Hmm?”

“I’m really glad I got to see you again.”

“It’s no problem, really, kinda glad I got to see you too. Also, just ‘Kido’ is fine. We aren’t schoolmates anymore, Hoshino.”

“I know but you’re still my best friend.”

“I know.” He agreed, then an idea came to mind. It still felt too early to pack it up and go home and they hardly have a curfew now since they’re already grown. “Say, you still got some time to hang out?”

“Sure,” he curiously tilted his head. “What did you have in mind?”

It took a lot of courage for him to finally come outright and ask. “You wanna go out with me?”

Hoshino’s heart nearly leapt out of his chest, wracking his brain together to come up with words at such an ambiguous request. “Y-You mean, like a …date?”

“Well, yeah,” he smiled. “I wanna spend Valentine’s with you.”

“K-Kido…” the attorney cleared his throat, trying to rid the blush that crept on his cheeks. “Of course!”

They stepped out into the evening air, deciding to hang out at the Sega Arcade at Theater Square, just as they did as in their high school days. Hoshino’s hand mindlessly swung at his side, accidentally brushing up against Kido’s. He would have quickly apologized if the other hadn’t suddenly taken his hand.

Hoshino felt himself become a blushing mess from the warmth of Kido’s hand. He felt too embarrassed to speak but he grew accustomed to the feeling of their fingers interlaced together.

“I, uhm, I feel like I need to ask but how did you find me?” He looked up at Kido, curious as to how he appeared so suddenly after all this time. 

Being in Kamurocho long enough, you start to realize how small the city truly was in the end. Seeing as how he was in the office on most days, the chances of Kido turning up needing an attorney was next to impossible unless he found himself bound by police-issued handcuffs and a life sentence.

Kido didn’t have the heart to tell him that he had to track him down from Purgatory, all thanks to a certain Florist and a generous amount of money to get him to where he is. It took him long enough to go through with it as those many other attempts were out of nervousness and chickening out until the infobroker felt secondhand embarrassment from watching him come back to stand in front of that stall for several days now before finally letting him in.

He shook off the thought and shrugged, “Just…. passing through.”

**Author's Note:**

> Forgive me, I had to rush this a bit because a lot of stuff happened irl. For the prompt, giving/receiving gifts. 
> 
> I’m also guilty for inserting myself here but I regret nothing


End file.
